The Hurricanes’ winning start to the Super Rugby season has extend to five matches with a hard-fought 20-13 victory over the Highlanders in Dunedin.
The result put the Hurricanes top of the table, although the Brumbies can go back above them when they face the Waratahs in Sydney on Sunday.
They had to graft for the win, after monopolising territory for the first hour but coming up against a committed defence.
It wasn’t until the 48th minute, with the score at 3-3, that they got over the tryline and it took 18 phases before prop Reg Goodes burrowed over.
First five-eighth Beauden Barrett added the conversion and a penalty to make it a 10-point game, but that marked the start of first period of concerted attack by the Highlanders.
First five-eighth Lima Sopoaga, who scored all the Highlanders’ points, closed the gap with a penalty before the home side forced the Hurricanes into some stern defence of their own.
Twice the Highlanders, with fullback and co-skipper Ben Smith in lively form, turned down penalty attempts to go for the seven points, but they came up empty-handed.
Instead, a huge tackle by second five-eighth Ma’a Nonu on fellow All Blacks midfielder Malakai Fekitoa sparked a Hurricanes counter-attack which finished in halfback TJ Perenara dotting down.
Sopoaga then set up a grandstand finish with two minutes to go when he touched down and converted.
The defeat ended a three-match winning run for the Highlanders, whose scalps included the previously unbeaten Chiefs and defending champions the Waratahs.
After a jittery start by both sides at Forsyth Barr Stadium, the Highlanders were called into plenty of defence as their line came under constant assault.
They held up a huge Hurricanes drive from a lineout, repelled a dab for the line by Perenara and twice disrupted attacking scrums.
A rare foray into opposition territory ended with a 3-0 lead via a Sopoaga penalty.
The Highlanders looked to have gone further ahead after some great lead-up work led to Fekitoa forcing his way over, but they were denied by a prior ruck infringement.
The Hurricanes’ only reward for their opening-half dominance was a Barrett penalty.
